Responses:

From: G.Ragavan (@ 164.164.94.115)
on: Tue Jul 31 00:44:16 EDT 2001
kupps, I too agree to some extend. IR is the last MD who pronounced the language properly. It is really pity that there is no one nowadays.
There is an exceptional song in "Kallazakar". "Vaararu Vaararu Azakar Vaararu" by Deva and SAR. That was really good. Every present MD know how to pronounce Thamiz properly. But the trend doesn't allow then do to so. :-(

From: Check_this_out (@ 212.2.14.241)
on: Tue Jul 31 07:37:57 EDT 2001
HFM has gone for manly voices ? Do you know why SPB was made to playback for Salman Khan right from the "Maine Pyar Kiya" days ? It was only bcos the so-called macho looks of Salman needed a voice that would enhance that image. This was repeated in many other films. Mission Kashmir had SPB renditioning for Sanjay Dutt - MANLY VOICE = SPB only !!

From: Yakkov (@ 216.141.126.194)
on: Tue Jul 31 10:55:22 EDT 2001
SPB for Sunjay Dutt in Mission Kashmir. Dude, don't speak nonsense. That song on Sunjay Dutt was sung by Vinod Rathod. Salman Khan macho-a? At least in Maine Pyar Kiya he started out as a player, a lover boy, NOT a macho man. Irrespective, at least you can say that SPB was chosen for his vocal vituosity.

Sorry...make that Daud....but the fact remains that SPB has used for playback for many of Salman's songs as either the director or the MD have felt that SPB's manly voice will enhance the image of Salman !

From: aruLaracan (@ psiphi.umsl.edu)
on: Tue Jul 31 12:33:53 EDT 2001
ir struggles hard to keep shruthi and imho he fails only rarely. but, like later day tms, his struggle is very obvious. but for this one problem, ir is equal to others in terms delivery and sincerety. i was listening to the song 'oru kuNdumaNi kulungudhadi" of avathAram yesterday. throughout the entire song ir retains the playfulness that goes with the song. it's done very subtly, but one can identify it if one listens closely. i prefer ir's version of ninnaich charaNadaindhEn to bombay jayashree's. the brighas in ir's version of delicious; jayashree sound bland in comparison. of course, all my opnions. ir is way ahead of hariharan in pUndhOTTam - the only song which hariharan has performed better than ir is ennaith thAlATTa varuvALO. (talking about hariharan, the only tfm song, imo, he has performed well is "thendralaik kaNdu koLLa mAne"!)

From: hari (@ 216.141.67.251)
on: Tue Jul 31 16:19:44 EDT 2001
aruL-

meettAdha oru veeNai (poondhOttam) was a good Hariharan effort IMO. Is there an IR version of this song?

Listen to songs like 'naanaga naan illai thaye',sung by SPB and listen to IR - you will do the above rating.

Listen to "Ennai thaalatta varuvalo", sung by Hariharan and listen to IR - You will do the above rating, (if you are healthy)!

From: Mythila (@ )
on: Fri Apr 2 08:50:33 EST 2004
IR's singing has certainly diminished the quality of countless of his own melodies and semi classical songs like "Janani janani", "ponnoviyam" , "metti oli" , "naan thedum sevvanthi poo idhu" etc.
There have been rare exceptions to this rule.
1. Ninnai charan adainthen from Bharathi - Iam yet to come to terms with his spotless rendition of panthuvarali. How could he pull this one off?
2. "Unnai thedi vennila" from En Mana vaanil - I grudgingly admit that IR's version has more enthu and feel when compared with HariHaran's.
I generally like his nonchalant way of singing few rustic numbers here and there(I underline this "here and there" frequency) like "Solam vedhakayile" ,
"Karatoram moongil kaadu",
humming in "Devanin kovil moodiya neram", "kaaviriye kavikuyile"(Adutha varisu).

From: cho (@ 209.47.143.226)
on: Fri Apr 2 11:07:04 EST 2004
Krishy, the 2 songs that you mentioned were done just as a track. They were added to the cassette/CD just to fill in the space and they weren't used in the movie.

As Mythila said, some of IR's songs are really really good. He has a unique voice that suits songs like 'nela adhu vaanathu mele', 'thuppakki kaiyil eduthu', 'kaattu vazhi pora pulla', 'raja rajadhi' etc. I strongly believe that no one could have done a better job in 'Janani janani' than IR. However his voice is not suitable for all kinds of songs. Sometimes he doesn't seem to realize that. Songs like 'malare pesu mounamozhi', 'oru jeevan azhaithadhu'(geethanjali), 'indha maan' (karakattakkaran), 'poo maalaye' (pagal nilavu), 'thalattu mari ponadhe' (unnai naan sandhithen) etc.. could have been sung by a better singer than himself. IR is not a bad singer. His tamizh pronounciation is far better than a quite a few leading singers. He is a bit nasal when he goes high pitch and unfortunately he has sung quite a few high pitch songs..

From: * (@ 161.114.1.182)
on: Fri Apr 2 12:49:04 EST 2004
Listenened to Janani Janani 2 days back - what an amazing out of the world composition!!! Its hard to remain an atheist(not that i am one :)) after hearing that song...its too overpowering even to mind the flaws in singing.

You don't have to by any website (what if the info is wrong??). Listen to the song and go by your ears. They (ears) will tell you Mano is the lead voice accompanied by someone.

From: Jacky (@ 61.2.32.183)
on: Fri Apr 2 16:17:02 EST 2004
I feel "nan thedum sevanthipoovithu" and "poomalai ye thol serava" were very good but his version of ennai thalatta varuvala was a misfit in that album.

From: ravi k.s. ravichandran (@ 128.110.251.101)
on: Fri Apr 2 21:12:42 EST 2004
Probably the best I like IR singing is, "Kan Malargalin Azhaipithal.." in Karumbu Vil. I thought he was sort of commanding this song..This song has one of the greatest Baroque style violin/cello starts.....

From: vijay (@ 68.51.215.28)
on: Sat Apr 3 01:05:24 EST 2004
Ravi, KaN malargalin azhaipidhazh, the opening was lifted from "Money Money" by Abba.And its from Thaipongal not Karumbu Vil. Are you referring to some other song?

IR was good in a few rustic songs like "vaada vaatudhu" etc. in his early years. But he had no business singing melodies like "Malare pesu mounamizhi" when the tune was begging for SPB. Also his monotonous amma-sentiment songs and other pathos songs for all Ramarajan movies became unbearable after a while.